Slenderman And The Rake
by MrCreepyPasta101
Summary: I would like to start this by saying that before these events I had never encountered the Slenderman in many stories. Just two or three. The Rake, however, is a different matter entirely. This started in December 2010.
1. Part 1

I would like to start this by saying that before these events I had never encountered the Slenderman in many stories. Just two or three. The Rake, however, is a different matter entirely. This started in December 2010. I had just discovered creepypasta style stories through a friend of mine. She refused to let me give her name, so in true internet fashion I will refer to her as Herp.

Herp showed me the classic Rake video where he ran through the bushes for a split second. I loved that video. I watched it several more times before a comment linked me to 4Chan. Now I knew of this site before, but I never knew of /x/. This is what led to me finding all sorts of creepypastas.

Now after about a month of this I got tired of /x/. One thread had an anchored text reading simply "The Rake". I clicked it and it brought me to Youtube. The Rake first sighting video. But this was by a different user. The user had only videos about The Rake. It had Vicious516's video and 's videos. I loved it.

After spending more of my life watching all these Rake videos I found myself obsessed. I wanted to know if he was REAL. If The Rake actually existed. So I did as any teenager does when they want to know something. I google'd it. Lo' and behold I found account after account of The Rake. Now, I'm not stupid. Well that's debatable, but I'm not easily fooled.

I knew most of these were bogus. But on all the ones with comments attached I saw a recurring commenter. A guy by the name of "Stiffer Man". Always that name no matter what website it was. He would _correct_ people. Actually tell people the details that were wrong. Things like "Nice story, but He can't go that fast," or "I love it! A word of advice though, His claws are a foot long, not 11 inches".

This guy... This guy seemed for real. So I looked for him. It was hard as his name was the same as a troll pasta. Rule 34 Slender Man. Some weird shit for sure. But I finally found a blog by a guy of the same name. He had been posting about The Rake for a while. And I noticed something. Nothing was? very realistic, at least not by what we say is real, but it sure as hell was believable. I sent him a few emails about The Rake. Emphasis on few -? it took him a while before he responded. All his email said was...

"He is legit".

I assumed He was The Rake. I told Herp and she just said that it was just some crazy guy. Someone more obsessed than me. Herp always looked down on my love for The Rake. She thought I should let sleeping dogs lie, but dumb ol' me wanted to poke 'em with a stick. I wanted to know if The Rake was real. Just that.

I sent out an email back to Stiffer Man asking if he had proof. If there was any cold evidence that The Rake was real. A picture or a video or something. It was a few long months before I got a response. This time it was an address. I knew the location, a coffee shop that was very popular in my town. My initial thought was _now how the fuck did he know I live here?_ But I wanted to go. And I brought Herp with me.

We showed up the next day around noon, when traffic started to pick up. I remember Herp saying it was so rude of him to not even leave a time for us to show up. We had no idea how we would know who was Stiffer Man, much less if he was even there. It's not like in the movies. I can't just walk up to the counter and ask if there was reservations under the name "Stiffer Man". Aside from being completely weird, it would also be illogical. There were no reservations at a freaking coffee shop!

We did, however, know when Stiffer Man walked through the door. He looked about 20 years old and was wearing a Story Time tee-shirt. Me and Herp approached him and asked if he was in fact Stiffer Man. He confirmed it and handed me a disposable camera. I was excited, needless to say, and so was Herp. That surprised me. I asked her later about this and she just said it was like being spies or something. I looked away from the camera to thank Stiffer Man, but he was gone. Not like the eerie "HE DISSAPERED, ZOMG!" No. He was just not there. Walked away.

Herp and I went to a Walgreens to develop the photos at one of those 1 Hour Photo places. While we waited, we discussed The Rake. How could Stiffer Man get photos of him? If The Rake was a ghost or a demon or something. And most important; if he was real, then what other Creepypastas were?

The talking kept us occupied for the 30 minutes it took for them to develop the images. The man behind the counter handed over the pictures with a piece of paper on the top. I asked what it was and he said it was wrapped around the film. The paper was a note written in black sharpie.

**These are photos of Him as you requested. I took them knowing it would cost me my safety. He does not like to be photographed. And He will also come after you if He finds out you have these. Do Not Publish These Images.**

**Signed,**

**Stiffer Man.**

The pictures were, as promised, pictures of The Rake. Herp was uneased by the letter, and begged me to burn the pictures. To just end it.? Being? me, however,? well I was not going to do that. The world HAD to know. It HAD TO. Everyone needed to know. So, I posted one of the pictures all over the internet. On /x/, on Deviant art, on reddit, and of course on Imgur. Herp, at this point, was paranoid of The Rake. The pictures were real, so how did we know the warning was not real? I was willing to risk my life to let people know about this.

Weeks went by with no change. Herp was on edge in school and, more so, after school. She started seeing things. Like she said she saw shadows moving at night. And she said she saw lots of dead animals around the neighborhood. So I offered her to stay at my house. My parents knew me and Herp had been friends since we were kids and they loved having her over. So she stayed the night. It was Friday and we stayed up late. Every thing seemed fine. But then, right around 9 PM, Herp said something strange.

"Did you hear that? Like scratching along the window?"

I looked at the window. "No. And I don't see anything but that stupid tree. Maybe it rubbed on the window."

"We aren't safe. We will never be safe. You shouldn't have put those pictures online."

"What makes you say that?"

"Think. Think really hard about why you said there was a scratch."

"It's just the tree and the wind!"

"Jonah! You don't _have_ a tree in your front yard."

I got scared. Herp was right, I didn't have a tree there. Slowly, I stood and walked over to the window. I put my hand on the glass and looked out. There was a shadow on the ground. A shadow of something on four legs that looked very much like a human. And he had claws.

The Rake looked back at me. I whispered to Herp that I mistook the claws as a branch. But I was wrong, yet again. The Rake dashed off and I was scared to the bone. We didn't sleep. That might not have to be said. We stayed away all night with my air rifles loaded with copper BBs. The Rake never showed up.

Fast forward to the next night. We couldn't stay awake another night in a row. As 16-year-olds it was not physically possible without some energy drinks, something my mom swears will kill your liver because of all the nasty toxic stuff in them. We crashed at about 8 o'clock. It was the best damn 4 hours I ever slept. I dreamed about when I was a kid playing on the playground without my parents. I was just a rebel like that as a kid.

I say four hours because I woke up to the sound of scratching. On my window.

"It's outside!" I whispered to Herp.

"No," She mouthed.

I glanced at my window without moving. My window sits opposite my bed so it was a bit of a strain. There, right the fuck there, was The Rake, running his claws agenst my windows from the inside. I screamed. What else could I do? The Rake pounced. Jumped at me and reared back his claw. I thought I was dead. But he was stopped. Some impossibly black force had hit The Rake smack in the face before he got me and sent him sprawling to the floor.

I had no fucking clue what that force was. Now I know. Those branches were fingers. The tree I never had was a body. The Rake hadn't opened the window. He'd just smash it. Something else wanted to be in my room. When I looked up, I knew who it was. I read a story about this figure. The figure that was tall, and had no face. The Slender Man.

The Rake was quick to recover. He hoisted himself up and lunged back at Slender Man. A black tendril slammed into The Rake's ribs and made a loud crack. The Rake hit the floor on his back and rolled to his feet. He was cautious now, and like a lion he began walking slowly in an arch around Slender Man. Herp inched out of bed and tried to run. I hadn't noticed until I herd that scream. The blood-curtling shriek of my best friend getting attacked by a monster. The Rake got a few good swipes at her, but Slender Man, for whatever reason, wanted her to not die and pulled The Rake off. I remember reading about him being ruthless and eating children. He never protected them.

The Rake gave a swipe at Slender Man's arm and it looked as if it simply fell through him. Slender Man started pulling at The Rake's arm while he held his body. It was like he was pulling apart a doll. After the first pop I snapped out of my awe. The Rake, despite being a monster, was something I was deeply attached to. I couldn't let Slender Man kill him.

"Stop! Don't do it!"

Slender Man looked at me. Well, he pointed his head at me.

"You can't rip his arms off! Or Kill him!"

To this, Slender Man's head cocked a bit in confusion.

"Okay, I thank you for helping me, but I just. I can't let you kill the thing I spent so long chasing. I wanted him to be real, and now that I know he is you can't just take Him!"

There was a long silence. Slender Man dropped The Rake and turned to me. He moved slowly and reached out his left arm. I was horrified. His fingers wrapped around my face and then... black.

I awoke the next morning in a hospital room. Not for me, it was for Herp. She was badly hurt with multiple cuts along her face and chest. I was upset about my friend being hurt, but I would be lying if I said I was upset about the events that night. I not only got paid off for a long period of work, but I also saw proof that Creepypasta aren't based off fiction.

Slender Man _and _The Rake are real. I haven't seen Slender Man since. I saw evidence of him everywhere. That tree that isn't suppose to be there. The dreams of a suited man on a playground. I even see him in old photos of me.

Slender Man must have been following me for years. When I asked my mom about the shadows that appeared ONLY in pictures of me she just smiled and said, "Me and your dad used to call that your Angel. It only ever appeared in pictures of you. Funny, but I hadn't thought of that in years."

As for The Rake. I haven't seen Him for a long time. I kind of miss the thrill of chasing Him. I miss knowing He was out there without proof.

Maybe He will come back.


	2. Part 2

It had been a month or so since my encounter with the Rake when I moved to Georgia. I was uprooted from my hometown forced to leave my friends behind. Herp, however... she didn't make it. She died a few weeks after our encounter and that was the primary reason my parents wanted to move. The police would have suspected me of cutting her up if it wasn't for the fact that I blamed it on a seriel killer. It all fit very well. The killer I blammed it on broke into people's houses and stabbed and cut them. A lot. He was still wanted for nine other murders in the area, so I figured what's the harm in blaming it on him. He deserved to be arrested and I had done nothing to directly kill her.

But I still felt guilty. I should, right? If it wasn't for me none of this would have happened. Her blood is on my hands, but I'm not going to jail for it. Herp would want me to go on and enjoy life. For both of us.

I didn't see Slender Man much after that night. Or the Rake. I figured Slender Man was just keeping me safe from the Rake. Maybe Slender Man scared the Rake? Well, whatever the reason, I still felt like he was around and nothing bad had happened. At least not yet.

In my new neighborhood, there wasn't too much going on. We had moved into a house built on old farm grounds. The locals told us all these ghost stories about various myths on the farm. A train that took people to hell, a thing taking the residents hostage and not allowing anyone in or out. After my experience, these stories were nothing.

The locals were nice though. They gave us some home made cakes as a welcoming gift. A boy my age invited me to a late-night camp fire some of the other kids my age were setting up. I figured it would be a good way to make new friends. To get my mind off Herp. It started at nine o'clock at night and would go on to three in the morning. I was told I should prepare a ghost story because, as I quickly found out, these people love ghost stories. And I had a monster of one.

Added by Jester of Sorts

When the night came I told my parents I'd be back after midnight, so they shouldn't wait up. They, reluctantly, agreed. Under normal circumstances they would have probably never even let me go. They knew how much I was hurting thought, so they allowed it. I walked to a house a few blocks away and knocked on the door. I was greeted by the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She had long black hair, the perfect curvy body and the deepest set of chocolate brown eyes I had ever seen.

"Hey, you're the new kid, right? Party's 'round back."

She motioned with her hand to follow her as she stepped outside and led me to the back yard of the house. I figured she meant it was just in the back yard, but no. It couldn't be there. It had to be in the woods on the edge of the back yard. She led me back and we chatted.

"My names Jess. What 'bout you, city boy?"

"Jonah. And I'm not from the city. I'm from a suburb in New England."

"Suburb, city. It's all the same ta us."

I could tell she was going to call me a "city boy" as long as I lived near her. Somehow, I didn't mind. We stopped at a small clearing where a fire pit had been made and lit. There was four other boys, all looking about my age, and two girls. One looked around my age as well, and the other seemed to be in her early twenties. The boy that invited me, Josh, introduced me to everyone. I spent most my time online back home, so I promptly forgot every name I had herd that night. Except for Jess, of course.

We talked, we joked and we over all enjoyed ourselves. It was starting to get really lively when 1 AM rolled around. That died quickly once it hit 1:30. Josh stood and announced we'd start the ghost stories. We all went in a circle, starting with Josh and going counter clock wise. They told local legends and various stories I'd herd, but they changed setting and names to suit Georgia. My turn came last, right around 2:50. I started to recount my story of the Rake and Slenderman. I told them everything. Stiffer Man, the pictures and even Herp's death. Everyone was silent for a long time after that. Finally a boy to my right spoke.

"I think Jonah wins scariest story."

"Yeah," Josh agreed.

"Hey, it might've been scary, but that Rake fella ain't from here. He's up in New England, right?" said the younger girl.

"Wrong," I said, "The Rake has been spotted anywhere from Spain to California. He moves around. But I'm not scared of him."

"Why?" Josh asked, "Is it cause 'a that Slender guy?" I simply nodded and stood up. I just wanted to leave now. To go back home. I was lying about not being scared. I was terrified. The Rake could follow me, and I had lost that feeling of Slender Man's presence when I moved. I began walking out of the woods. I herd footsteps of someone pursuing me. I didn't stop. I didn't care who it was. Or I thought I didn't.

"Hey, City Boy, where are you headin'?"

"Home, Jess."

"Well then," Jess said with a sly voice, "Let me walk ya there. Don't want the Rake creepin' in on ya, now do we?"

I gave a light laugh. We walked to my house together. Alone. She really was a beautiful girl. Tanned and flawless skin. Long legs. I'd never really found any girl I'd met attractive, but Jess made me think models I'd seen online were average looking. We chatted idly about nothing in particular. We managed to keep a conversation about nothing going for a good few minutes. My house shouldn't take so long to get to, but we walked slowly.

When we had turned onto my street, I pointed out my house. Jess told me she knew which one was mine, it was the only house that had been bought recently. As we stepped under a street light, I froze.

"What's a matter, City Boy?" Jess teased, "You see the Rake?"

I nodded as I extended a shaking finger and pointed at the creature standing just ten feet away, right infront of my house. She turned and fell silent. The sound of metal scraping rock echoed through the otherwise silent street as He began to approach us. I saw a glimmer of joy in his dark eyes. A slight smirk tugged at his lips. For a monster, He seemed very human.

Jess let out a shriek and the Rake took off at full speed, running on all fours and leaping into the air. He made a swipe at Jess. There was no time to think. It happened so fast. A scream. Stars in the sky. Warmth on my chest and the back of my head. Cold everywhere else. The world was spinning. I started to realize what was happening. I dived, without thinking, infront of Jess and took the Rake's long metallic claws to the chest. It didn't hurt, it just felt warm. Jess was gone. I turned my head to see her running away.

"J-Jess..." I weakly murmured. I turned my head to see the Rake. His long claws grabbed my neck and his face pushed close to mine. He had leathery pale brown skin and the most sadistic smile I'd ever seen. He hissed and growled for a long while. Was he trying to talk? It didn't matter, I accepted my fate. I was alone and ready to die.

"Just like Herp."

That thought shocked me out of whatever hole made me think I could just give up. I couldn't take the easy out. I puched at him and he, caught of guard, fell to the side. I scrambled to my feet and began to run to my house. As fast as possible, which wasn't very fast with the cuts along my chest. I felt the Rake behind me. His claws touched the back of my neck. Then a loud bang. I stopped and turned. The Rake had run head first into a street light.

But it wasn't a street light. It was too dark to by the silver pole. And there was no light coming from it. I looked up to see him. My guardian angel. The Slender Man. He didn't leave me after all.

The Rake hissed and backed away. He started to run away, scared of Slender Man. Slender Man wasn't moving though. He wasn't doing anything.

"What the hell? You're letting him go?"

Slender Man looked at me. Well, pointed his head at me.

"You remember how I said don't kill him? Well I was wrong. You go kill that bastard! Make him suffer!"

Slender Man didn't need anymore than that. Large black tendrils burst from his back and flew towards the Rake. They wrapped around him and pulled the him, no, pulled _it, _close. The Rake took a swipe at Slender Man. Long fingers wrapped around his claws and tensed, bending the monster's metal claws in ways they weren't meant to. The Rake swung his other claws and got Slenderman in the head, leaving three long red cuts.

There was red. Red everywhere. The Rake had been impaled by Slender Man's left hand.

Clean through. I thought for sure the Rake would pass out from losing that much blood. But he didn't. He had the most disturbing smile I'd seen. The only way he'd look more sadistic would be with a white hoodie. The Rake did the most unexpected thing. He bit Slender Man's face, or at least the front of his head. His small razor teeth sunk into Slender Man's head. The Rake held on until his black eyes rolled back. His teeth let go and he feel to the ground. Both of the Rake's arms had been torn off, and his torso was missing a large chunk of chest. Slender Man's large foot pushed against the Rake's head until...

Pop.

I didn't want to look at the scene. The Rake was gone, that's all that mattered. Slender Man began to walk away, but I still wanted to ask so much.

"Slender Man!" I called.

He stopped and turned.

"Why are you protecting me? All the stories say you're evil."

"You believe that Slender Man refers to one," his voice was a low whisper and his jaw moved as if he had a mouth, "We are many."

"What... what does that mean?" I asked in confusion.

Slender Man produced a piece of paper from his suit jacket and handed it to me. I read the few familiar words on it.

**The Operator**

**Der Ritter**

**The White King**

**Tree Man**

**Bundle**

**The Faceless Hitchhiker**

And then, a line that was completely new to me...

**The Guardian**

When I looked up he was gone. I might never see him again. I pray to God I never meet the others.


End file.
